Lost In Limbo
by Aini NuFire
Summary: In the midst of a battle, Alec and Magnus accidentally fall through a portal and end up in limbo. While the others scramble for a way to find them and bring them home, shadowhunter and warlock have to fight to stay alive and whole in a realm that claims lost souls for eternity.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Takes place after season 2, but ignoring season 3 for convenience. (It's hard to set side adventures in the canon timeline with all the stuff going on.) Will update Tuesdays and Saturdays (US time).**

 **Disclaimer: Not mine. Thanks to 29Pieces for beta reading!**

* * *

Chapter 1

The op center was crowded as several teams of shadowhunters stood ready for the mission briefing. Alec roved his gaze around the room to make sure everyone was there, and then tapped the console to bring up a holographic schematic of their target.

"Intel discovered a base of operations for remnants of the Circle," he began, enlarging the image so those in the back could see. "From the little recon we've been able to do, it looks like it's mostly a group of brand new shadowhunters. We don't have exact numbers, but we do know they've got a warlock."

Alec looked at Magnus then, who would be accompanying them on this mission precisely for that reason. As if the flamboyant warlock didn't stand out enough with his moussed hair, red highlights, and eyeliner, Magnus was dressed in his normal finery, which stuck out even more amidst the group of shadowhunters in combat gear.

"Let Magnus handle the warlock," Alec continued. "Valentine's experiments have made them victims, not criminals."

He saw a few shadowhunters exchange looks at that, especially given the recent tensions with the warlocks siding with the Seelie Queen and erecting wards around the city that could have killed any of them. They were just doing what they thought they needed to in order to stop Valentine. Alec didn't fault them for it, though he knew not everyone at the Institute was feeling as forgiving. But no one spoke out against the order. Izzy, Jace, and Clary all had resolute expressions that fully backed him.

Alec went on to assign the teams to cover all the entrances and exits. "Any questions?" he finished.

There were none.

"Then move out."

Magnus sidled up next to him while the others began to file out. "I must say, Alexander, command looks good on you. In fact, I'm a little turned on right now."

Alec had to fight to keep a warm flush from rising up his neck. "We need to focus. This mission is dangerous and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Magnus smiled, and placed a hand on his arm. "That's sweet. But I can take care of myself."

"Against a whole squadron of shadowhunters who believe in Valentine's cause to eradicate all downworlders from the face of the Earth? I think that might be a tall order, even for the High Warlock of Brooklyn."

"Well, then it's a good thing I also have you to watch my back," Magnus said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Just don't get distracted watching his back _side_ ," Izzy lobbed as she passed by them.

Alec rolled his eyes. "More like I'll be too busy making sure Fray doesn't get herself killed."

"Hey," Clary protested indignantly. "I think I've proven myself a capable shadowhunter."

Alec shrugged to concede the point. She had done exceptionally well for someone who hadn't trained her entire lifetime. And that was exactly the type of opponents they'd be going up against tonight: soldier pawns who hadn't been shadowhunters for more than a few months.

Alec scooped up his bow and quiver and joined everyone else outside where there was more space for Magnus to portal them to the area of the city where the Circle's base was located.

With a flourish of his hands, Magnus opened a swirling vortex to a block away from the target. Three by three, the shadowhunters strode through and immediately fanned out to come in from all sides. Alec's team would be taking the front.

He approached the run-down auto body shop cautiously, eyes peeled for sentries. They didn't want the Circle members to sound the alarm until it was too late. But it appeared that these untrained amateurs hadn't set a guard. While they'd been wholly indoctrinated with Valentine's mission, they were probably lost and floundering now that he was dead.

Alec waited the predetermined amount of time for everyone to get into position. Beside him, he could feel Jace's pre-battle energy thrumming through their bond, solidifying their connection as their hearts settled into a synced rhythm. He glanced at Izzy, whose mouth was quirked in an anticipatory grin. Clary's shoulders were rising and falling with measured breaths as she mentally readied herself.

Alec met Magnus's eyes last, and they shared a look of grim resolve. They didn't know exactly what they would find in there, but they were fully devoted to their cause.

When it was time, Alec gave the signal, and his team moved forward. To the left, he saw the silent shadows of another group move in on the side, and knew the other teams were doing the same all around the building, completely surrounding it. He nocked an arrow at the ready as they reached the door, and Jace paused to pull out his stele and draw an unlock rune. It glowed and fizzled, and Jace stepped back to give himself room to kick the door in.

Shadowhunters poured in from several entryways with resounding bangs. Circle members jolted at the intrusion, some reacting faster than others. Alec aimed at one who had arched his arm back to throw a knife, and shot him in the shoulder before he could release the blade.

But despite their lack of proper training, these men fought just as fiercely as true shadowhunters, spurred by Valentine's rhetoric and fierce, berserk fighting styles that made them just as dangerous as anyone from the Institute. Seraph blades clashed with strident screeches and clangs and gargled screams filled the air as people were cut down.

Alec tried to keep his friends in sight. Clary was easy to spot with her red hair, and she was so far holding her own against a brute of a man. Izzy's whip flashed like lightning, guarding Clary's back from other attackers. Jace, of course, Alec didn't need to look for because he could feel his parabatai moving like water through the throng.

Alec kept back so he had more angles for shooting his arrows, and took down any Circle members who came running in from back rooms. Magnus stayed behind him, until a sphere of crackling brown energy came flying through the air and struck several shadowhunters, sending them flying. Then Magnus was sweeping around Alec and throwing up a spell of his own.

Alec continued to fire arrows while also trying to keep one eye on Magnus. He saw a geyser of vermillion shoot through the air and wrap around the attacking warlock, restraining him. Magnus moved closer.

"Let me help you," he said over the din.

Alec felt a tug in his bond, and spun around to loose an arrow at the shadowhunter who had Jace in a headlock. The man went down and Jace snatched up his blade from the floor without losing a step.

Alec was just turning back when an ocher ball of plasma came flying toward Magnus, not from the warlock he'd caught, but from a second one they hadn't known was there. The spell hit Magnus in the side and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Magnus!" Alec notched an arrow, but before he could get off a shot, a crowbar zinged toward him. He ducked, narrowly avoiding getting skewered. But he didn't see the large tin barrel flip through the air at him from another direction, and it clobbered him in the side with enough force to send him sprawling on the concrete. He didn't lose hold of his bow, though.

Rolling into a crouch, Alec tried to get another arrow ready. The warlock had stepped into full view now, sickly gray veins prominent on his face, and was waving his hands frantically. Alec heard a whoosh of air behind him that sounded like a portal. They couldn't let anyone escape, so he leaped up to take one last shot. Magnus was scrambling to his feet next to him.

Alec released the arrow just as the warlock thrust his palm out. The move didn't deflect Alec's shot, which struck the warlock in the chest. It did, however, fling that barrel at Alec again. It hit him head on, throwing him back into Magnus, and then suddenly gravity was gone and they fell into a swirling vortex of light and wind.

Alec landed hard on an uneven surface that knocked the air from his lungs. When he coughed to get it back, he inhaled a mouthful of dust that made him cough more, and it took several moments for him to catch his breath. Once he finally did, he opened his eyes and blinked dazedly at dry, cracked soil and thorny brambles poking up through the fissures.

Alec stared in confusion, and slowly sat up. He stiffened as he took in a vast, barren landscape. Gnarled trees covered in curtains of moss dotted the wasteland, along with jagged, onyx rock formations, and great crags shrouded in fog in the distance. When he turned his head up, he found a hazy and sickly lavender sky. His heart began to beat erratically, and he twisted around.

"Magnus!" He scrambled over to the warlock, who was laying dazed on the ground, but was at least conscious. "Magnus, are you hurt?" Alec looked him over for injury, but didn't see any. He'd been hit by a spell, though.

Magnus started to sit up. "I'm okay. I…" He trailed off, eyes widening as he looked at their surroundings. "Oh. This is bad. This is very bad."

Alec frowned, and swept his gaze around again. "Where are we? This- this isn't a demon dimension, is it?" It definitely wasn't any place on Earth.

"If only," Magnus replied, lurching to his feet and dusting himself off. "We fell through a portal."

"Yeah…" Alec had put that much together. "So where did the warlock send us?"

Magnus's mouth was tight and there was true fear in his eyes. "He didn't have a place in mind when he opened that portal. And I didn't have time to think of one before we fell through. Did you?"

Alec quirked a confused look at Magnus. "No." It took him a moment to catch on, and when he did, the oxygen punched from his lungs. "Wait, are you saying we're in limbo?"

Magnus gave him a grim nod. "As I said, this is very, _very_ bad."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Magnus rubbed his fingers together anxiously as he swept his gaze around the hazy wasteland. Of all the pickles he'd gotten into over his many centuries, this was one of the worst. If he was prone to panic, now would certainly be the time.

Alec shifted beside him, keen eyes scanning the vicinity with a touch of trepidation. "Can't you just portal us out of here?"

"It's not that simple," Magnus replied. "Limbo isn't a dimension like alternate realities or hell dimensions. It's the space between portal doorways. If a warlock could just make a portal to get back, there wouldn't be dozens who have been lost to this place."

"Okay. But you invented the portal, right? So you can just…invent a new way to travel through them?"

Magnus scoffed under his breath. He wanted to appreciate the vote of confidence, but the truth of the situation was much more dire. His invention of the portal hadn't been some whim; it'd come from years of studying rifts and gateways that demons used to come from their hell dimensions to Earth. Magnus had just refined the concept for personal use and convenience.

He'd also known the risks of creating portals when he'd begun to share the trick with other warlocks, as he'd read about limbo in some demonic texts that Greater Demons had written on the subject. And if _they_ didn't have a way to easily travel to and from this realm, then Magnus didn't think he could come up with one on the spot.

Still, he clenched his hands and summoned his magic, thrusting his palms out in an attempt to blast open a doorway. His magic instantly fizzled out between his fingers like sand.

"That's okay," Alec said. "Just take your time."

Magnus inhaled sharply. He may have had all the time in the world to come up with a way to get them out of this, but he'd rather not spend Alec's lifetime figuring it out. He drew forth his magic again with more force and tried to simply punch his way through time and space. But again, his magic hit the air and dissipated.

Magnus let out a frustrated breath and took a moment to focus on not letting panic get the better of him. He had to think, had to be as smart and brilliant as his reputation preceded. Magnus mentally went back to the mechanics of portal travel, dissecting it on an intellectual level. Alec was right; he'd invented the personal portal; he could get them out of limbo.

A distant screech wafted through the air, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Alec turned and squinted at something in the distance. "What is that?"

Magnus followed his gaze, and it took a few moments before his eyes could make out wispy shapes in the fog. His blood turned to ice as another shriek filled the air, closer this time. "We need to go."

Alec was already reaching for his quiver. "Why? What are they?"

"Lost souls." Magnus watched the smoky phantoms bank in the air, swerving in and out of each other as they headed toward them.

"They look intangible…"

"Yes, and intangible beings often want to become tangible again," Magnus said hurriedly, grabbing Alec's arm and tugging him away. "We probably look like prime real estate in a place like this."

Alec's brows shot upward as he started to follow. "Seriously?"

"I'd rather not stick around to find out." He cast another look over his shoulder at the specters before he and Alec quickened their paces and ran.

* * *

Isabelle cracked her whip around the last Circle member's neck and yanked him to the ground. He landed hard, gasping harshly as two other shadowhunters from the Institute stepped in to take him prisoner. Isabelle withdrew her electrum weapon back into its dormant bracelet state and roved her gaze around the shop. The battle was over, and while there were some wounded, she didn't see any of their own people lying dead amongst the bodies.

She frowned when she heard Jace's distraught voice yelling.

"Where did you send them!"

She quickened her pace, heels rapidly clacking across the floor until she rounded some equipment and found Jace on his knees next to a wounded warlock, Alec's red fletched arrow sticking out of the warlock's chest. Jace had his hands fisted in the man's shirt and was practically shaking him, despite the fact that the guy looked too weak to fight and was coughing up blood. Clary was standing behind Jace, biting her lip worriedly.

Isabelle hoped someone was getting Magnus, because it looked like the warlock's injury was grave.

"What's going on?" she asked as she hurried over.

"Alec and Magnus got sent through a portal during the battle," Clary explained. "They haven't come back yet."

Isabelle stiffened. " _What_?" She looked around the building on instinct, searching out her older brother, always so easy to pick out in a crowd. But there was no sign of him.

Jace slammed the warlock back against the concrete. "Where did you send them?" he repeated frenetically.

"Jace!" Clary snapped. "This isn't helping."

"They should have portaled back by now," he replied sharply, not taking his eyes from the warlock, and now his voice dropped to a deadly low. "I won't ask you again."

"No- where," the warlock coughed, red splattering his lips. His lung had to be punctured. "N-no…destination."

Jace jerked back as though he'd been electrocuted, and Isabelle felt the oxygen in her lungs seize.

Clary cast a confused look between them. "I don't understand. If he didn't send them anywhere, then why aren't they back yet?"

"They fell in," Jace said shakily, and he shoved himself away from the warlock. "No warning, no time to think of a destination."

"But, those who portal without a destination…"

"End up in limbo," Izzy finished.

Clary shook her head. "Okay, but Magnus is with Alec. Can't he just open another portal?"

"No one's ever come back from limbo," Jace replied. "Not even warlocks."

He dropped his gaze back to the one on the ground, whose vacant eyes were now staring blankly into nothing. Isabelle felt a glimmer of pity for him. The gray veins on his skin were clear evidence of the torment he'd been subjected to under Valentine's mind-control serum. But at the same time, he'd sent her brother and friend to their deaths, and that made grief and anger squeeze her heart in warring intensities.

"What do we do?" Clary asked.

Isabelle exchanged a helpless look with Jace; there was nothing they could do.

Clary glanced back and forth between them, eyes widening with urgency. "There has to be something!"

Jace reached up to rub at his side. "I can't feel him," he said brokenly.

Isabelle straightened. "Is the rune still there?"

Jace lifted the bottom of his shirt, revealing the parabatai rune, whole and intact. Isabelle felt a surge of hope.

"That must mean Alec is still alive."

"What good is that if he's trapped in another dimension?" Jace responded.

"We can't just give up," Clary put in. "There has to be something we can do. Go back to the Institute and research portals and limbo, find _something_ that can help us, help Alec and Magnus."

Jace's eyes wavered, like it was too painful to hope for such miracles.

Isabelle wasn't afraid to, though. She lifted her chin and gave a sharp nod. "Let's go."

* * *

Alec and Magnus kept moving. The phantoms had receded into the distance, but as long as they were still visible, Alec didn't feel comfortable stopping. He tried to keep his bearings, but everything looked the same and the horizon in every direction was nothing but heavy purple fog. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a sun to mark the passage of day, just a constant, unearthly smolder to the sky.

He slid down a sharp incline of rocks into a gulch, and turned to catch Magnus as he followed him down. Magnus landed with a grunt and patted the dust off his clothes, not that he was going to keep them clean for very long in this place.

Alec didn't like the ravine; it obscured his view of the wraiths, though it did at least shield him and Magnus from them as well. Catch-22.

They made their way through the dry trough until the sides gradually petered out and they exited on one end into yet more barren and dusty terrain. Alec craned his head back to scan the sky. No sign of the phantoms.

But as he turned his attention back to the ground, he pulled up short at a pile of bones and shredded clothes. Alec frowned at the unexpected sight, and moved nearer to examine them. Crouching down, he noted upon closer inspection that there were teeth marks in the bones.

"Wraiths didn't do that," he commented.

Magnus shifted his weight nervously as his eyes wandered around the area. "It's not just shadowhunters who can get lost here. Warlocks and any downworlder who uses a portal could end up in limbo. Losing their souls to a place like this might result in…different transformations, given their partly demonic nature."

Alec stood with a frown. "I don't like the sound of that."

A high-pitched screech sounded through the air, much closer than those specters had been, and seemed to vibrate through the ground.

"I definitely don't like the sound of that." Alec whipped out his bow and an arrow to nock at the ready. Stepping closer to Magnus, he turned in a slow circle, poised for attack.

A chittering shriek sounded again, this time from another direction, and Alec whirled to face it. Either something could move that fast…or there was more than one of them out there.

"How's your magic?" Alec asked in a low voice.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Magnus snap his fingers, only for his magic to fizzle out just as it had with the portal.

Magnus let out a frustrated growl. "That spell I got hit with has weakened me."

Alec took that into account and calculated the best plan of action. "We should go back," he said, and started to backtrack toward the gully.

But they didn't make it before a hunched creature on four legs emerged from the fog. It moved like a stiff-jointed canine, hobbling forward on spindly legs. It had a humped torso lined with spikes, and a tiny head so low to the ground it could have breathed nothing but dirt.

Alec pulled his bowstring taut, prepared to fire, when it let out an ear-piercing screech that almost made him lose his grip. But he somehow managed to keep his aim, and loosed the arrow at the beast just as it began to charge. The arrow hit high in the shoulder, and the thing roared in response, but it didn't go down.

Alec tried to get another arrow out in time, but couldn't, and he dove to the side before the monster could barrel into him. He rolled into a crouch and swapped his bow for his seraph blade. "Magnus!"

He spotted Magnus darting away from the beast as it rounded on them, and Alec surged upward to launch an offensive. He swiped his blade at the creature's flank, spattering ichor across the ground. It howled and spun after him with a snap of razor teeth he barely managed to avoid.

He tried to go in for a full thrust next in the hopes of killing the demon, but it was quicker than its shape belied, and a set of claws scored across his arm. Alec gritted his teeth and pivoted around behind the creature, driving his blade into its hide as hard as he could. It went rigid and seized for a split moment before falling with a loud thud. Alec yanked his blade out with a squelch.

He turned to find Magnus, and his eyes widened when he spotted three more forms emerging from the fog. Magnus had spotted them, too, and was already running toward him and snagging his sleeve to pull him away. They sprinted into a copse of dead trees, pausing to glance back for a split second. Alec didn't know whether to be relieved or disgusted that the other monsters were converging on the dead one and tearing into its flesh.

He turned away and kept up a harried pace with Magnus as they tried to put as much distance as they could between themselves and those things. Alec's arm stung, and he stopped long enough to pull out his stele and activate his iratze. He didn't want to leave a blood trail for those demons to follow.

Eventually they came to a hollow in the side of a mound, which seemed as good a place as any to take refuge in for the moment. Alec dropped heavily onto the ground and craned his neck to get a look at his arm. The healing rune had taken care of the worst of the damage, but the scratches were still red and inflamed.

Magnus knelt down next to him and held his hand out over the wound. There was a spritz of blue magic, but then nothing. His expression darkened.

"Don't worry about it," Alec said, trying to assuage him.

Magnus shot him an affronted look. "Demon injuries are not to be taken lightly." He grumbled something under his breath. "I guess I'll just have to do this the mundane way."

He took hold of the bottom of his silk shirt and ripped it along the seam.

Alec arched a dubious eyebrow. "The mundane way is to ruin one of your best shirts?"

"It's considered chivalrous." Magnus ripped his shirt again down the other side, and then took the tattered piece and began wrapping it around Alec's arm, nimble fingers moving with gentleness and care. Magnus may not have been able to use his magic, but each tender touch sent sparks through Alec's skin.

His mouth quirked with a small smile. "The mundane way isn't so bad."

Magnus finally loosed some of his tension and smiled back as he finished securing the makeshift bandage.

A howl in the far distance shattered the tenuous relief.

"We should rest for a bit," Magnus said tightly.

Alec didn't argue with that. Shifting to make room, he lifted his arm for Magnus to huddle in next to him, and hoped they really would be safe for awhile.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Clary blinked to clear her vision as the words on the page in front of her began to blur. She, Jace, and Izzy had been going through the Institute's library for hours and had yet to find anything on how to bring someone back from limbo. She pulled out her stele and activated her stamina rune. The rush of adrenaline was better than any caffeine fix, and her vision instantly sharpened and she sat a little straighter. She focused her attention back on the tome she was reading. It talked about the dangers of portal travel, how not having a destination would send someone to limbo.

 _Tell me something I don't know_ , she mentally muttered.

What were Alec and Magnus facing in that plane, anyway? Were they wandering around, lost? Or were their souls just…suspended, waiting to be rescued?

Clary shut the book a little roughly, it having contained no new insight to help them. She reached for the next volume in the pile.

Jace shoved himself away from the table, chair legs scraping across the floor, and surged to his feet. "There's nothing in these books."

"Jace," Clary said in a placating tone. "We still have a lot to go through."

He whirled toward her, eyes flashing. "Alec is out there somewhere and I have no idea if he's hurt or scared. He could be dying, but I can't feel him!"

Clary took a calming breath before responding. She knew she could never understand the parabatai bond without having one herself. Even her love for Jace would never reach that same level of soul connection. And knowing how terrified and worried she'd felt when Jace had been with Valentine, she could at least guess at just how much more intense those feelings were for Jace right now about Alec.

"Magnus is with him," she said. "Maybe they don't know how to get back, but they're going to look out for each other. We have to stay strong for them and keep looking for a way to bring them back."

Jace shook his head. "There's never been a case of someone coming back from limbo."

Clary finally stood and came around the side of the table, stopping a mere breadth from Jace. "There's never been a case of a shadowhunter making new runes. Just because it's never happened before doesn't mean it's impossible."

Jace's jaw ticked, and he looked away.

Clary lightly touched his arm. "Why don't I make a portal to limbo and we go in after them?"

"No," Jace shot down.

Clary huffed. "Why not?"

"Limbo isn't a geographic location. It's an infinite plane of existence. Even if you could create a portal to it intentionally, we could spend ages searching for Alec and Magnus there." Jace gripped her arms in return. "I can't lose you, too."

Clary deflated a little, conceding the point. It wouldn't do any good to get themselves lost in limbo also; she knew that.

"Then we keep looking through these books," she said sternly, gesturing to the monumental task laid out before them. "Because I'm not giving up."

Jace was silent for a moment, but then some of that crackling energy seemed to die down, and he nodded sagely. Clary met his eyes, and with a shared look of resolve, they both returned to their research.

* * *

Alec woke with a start, immediately berating himself for his lapse in watchfulness. When had he gotten so tired?

"Alexander," Magnus said softly, instantly grounding him.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, turning his head to find Magnus beside him. "I should have been keeping watch. Are you okay?"

Magnus gave him a fond smile. "I'm fine. And I was standing guard, don't worry. Nothing's come near us."

Alec rubbed his eyes as he sat up straighter. A quick look around the hollow confirmed it was undisturbed and there were no sounds of predators outside. He didn't relax, though. It was only a matter of time.

He gave Magnus a careful once-over. "How are you feeling? Is your magic recovering?" Would he be able to make a portal to get them out of here soon?

Magnus canted his head in half confirmation, half caveat. "My magic is recovering, but I'm afraid I'm not back to my full strength yet."

Alec shifted, stretching out his legs and grimacing as they cramped. "You can take my strength," he offered.

Magnus shook his head a tad more sternly than usual. "No. You'll need every last bit to survive in this place."

True, Alec was currently their best defender against the demons and phantoms in limbo, what with Magnus's magic being inoperable. But there was no telling how long it might take for Magnus's magic to get back to full strength, and there was danger in that, too. Alec may be a capable fighter, but even he wouldn't be able to take on a whole pack of those cannibalistic demons from earlier.

He looked around the hollow. "We shouldn't stay here." It had served as a place for respite, but it was hardly defensible.

Magnus nodded grimly, and started to scoot his way out. Alec followed. Upon emerging, the first thing he did was scan the sky for phantoms. But with how hazy everything was, it was difficult to make out wispy specters from fog until they were swarming toward you.

Alec picked up his bow and started off in a random direction, keeping his senses peeled. Every so often, he'd hear Magnus behind him, muttering to himself about portal mechanics as he tried to verbally work through their problem. Alec left him to it.

They didn't come across any more piles of bones, which was good. Not that Alec was going to let his guard down for a second.

He was getting tired, though, almost lightheaded. He wondered how much time had passed since they'd been here. Maybe it passed differently in this realm, too.

So Alec paused to draw a nourishment rune, but when he pulled out his stele, he jolted at the sight of his hand—his fingers were pale and translucent, so much so that he could see the stele _through_ them. He immediately dropped the instrument.

"M-Magnus."

Magnus was instantly at his side. "What is it?" His eyes landed on Alec's raised hand, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

Alec flexed his fingers. He could feel them, and there was still a faint outline of his fingertips, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. "What's happening to me?"

Magnus reached out to take his hand. "Your soul is starting to fade."

Alec swallowed hard. "What does that mean?" He had a hunch, and almost didn't want to hear the answer.

"You'll eventually become a wraith like the other lost souls," Magnus said tightly. He turned Alec's hand over and examined it. "I thought we'd have more time, but the physical injury to your arm must have weakened you."

Alec's pulse throbbed in his neck painfully as adrenaline and panic set in. Being lost to limbo was one of the horror stories told to young shadowhunters about the dangers of portal travel, and the idea of his soul being lost for eternity had always terrified Alec.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, then another. Then he slowly bent down to retrieve his stele, and pulled up his shirt to activate his iratze. But the healing rune didn't restore his hand. A lump squeezed his throat.

Magnus was frowning, and he snapped his fingers to draw up some blue magic. Though small, it was more than the fizzles from earlier. Yet even as that healing magic soothed over Alec's hand, it didn't restore him. Panic seized his heart further.

"Magnus," Alec finally managed to whisper. "Save your strength."

Magnus cut off his magic with a frustrated sound. "My magic and your runes can't heal this kind of thing, because it's your soul that's fading, not your body."

Alec nodded slowly, trying to find that place of calm and level-headedness he always fell back on in battle. He had to think clearly if he was going to get through this.

He drew a nourishment rune, then activated his stamina one, and felt some of his fatigue diminish. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it'd do for now.

"Let's keep moving."

"No, you should save your strength," Magnus argued.

"We're sitting ducks out here," Alec replied.

As if on cue, a shriek sounded in the distance, fortunately a good ways away. But anything was too close for comfort.

Ignoring his disquietude about his hand, Alec tightened his hold on his bow and resumed their trek.

* * *

Magnus wracked his brain for a way out of this wretched mess. He could feel his magic simmering inside him, regenerating itself. But it wasn't fast enough, and if he started experimenting with portals, he might exhaust himself again without making any progress. And he couldn't allow that to happen. Alec was already starting to fade, and the longer they remained here, the greater the chance that Magnus was going to lose him.

He cursed his uselessness in this situation. He was _Magnus Bane_! He'd invented the bloody portal in the first place. He should be able to bend time and space to his will and get his beloved back home.

His magic crackled with the ferocity of his roiling emotions, begging for release. He paused in his hiking for a moment to let the sparks zing between his fingers. Perhaps if he channeled it properly…

Magnus opened himself up to the fear and terror of losing Alec, even though it stole the breath from his lungs and made his heart feel like it was about to implode. He let it turn to anger and helpless fury, which broiled his magic hotter. With a wave of his hands, Magnus threw a portal spell at the air. For a split second, it almost ripped a hole in this realm, but with another gust of air, was gone just as quickly.

Magnus clenched his fists and threw a fireball at the ground. " _Dammit_."

Alec was suddenly there, squeezing his shoulder. "Magnus," he said, and it was the softness in his tone that broke through the red haze.

Magnus's shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry, Alexander."

"Don't be. This isn't your fault."

Magnus turned and gripped Alec's arms. "I can't lose you."

Alec's jaw tightened, but he nodded resolutely despite the flicker of fear in his eyes. "We'll find a place that's sheltered, somewhere defensible where I can keep watch while you focus on your magic. Okay?"

He nodded, because it was the only option open to them.

There were large rock formations a couple miles ahead that might provide what they needed. As long as nothing was already living in them. Magnus didn't voice that fear, though; it wouldn't do them any good, as they had nowhere else to go in this desolate wasteland.

He focused on coaxing his magic back to its full strength as they walked while also considering how he might manipulate the laws of rift quantum mechanics to break through this plane.

So absorbed was he in his thoughts, that it took him a moment to notice Alec was slowing down. And then Alec stumbled in a rut and shot out a hand to catch himself on a decaying tree. Magnus's lungs seized. He could see the tree bark through Alec's entire hand.

"Alexander!" He lunged forward just as Alec started to collapse, barely catching him in time to let him sink down against the base of the tree. Magnus cupped the side of his face. "Alec."

Alec's eyelids rose and fell languidly as he tried to lift his gaze. "Magnus?"

"Yes, I'm right here. You have to hold on, Alexander. Stay with me."

"I don't feel right," he mumbled. He lifted his fading hand in front of his face, looking dazed as he stared right through it to Magnus.

Magnus captured his hand between his own and squeezed. "Alec, fight it," he urged.

Alec blinked at their joined hands. "I can't feel you," he slurred, and closed his eyes as he tipped his head back against the bark. "I can't feel Jace."

Magnus squeezed harder, his heart rate kicking into overdrive. "Alexander, look at me. You have to hold on."

Alec's eyelids slid open slowly, and the look of utter devastation in his expression made Magnus's heart stutter. "Jace is dead, isn't he?"

Was that what was happening? Had Jace been hurt in the battle and his parabatai connection with Alec was sapping Alec's strength further?

"He died at Lake Lyn, didn't he?" Alec went on.

Magnus stiffened. "What? Alec, no, Jace is alive."

Alec shook his head. "I felt him die. How can he be alive if I felt that?"

"I don't know. I don't know what happened out there." He'd seen what happened to Alec when his rune disappeared, and knew _something_ had gone down at Lake Lyn. But neither Jace nor Clary had come clean with the truth to anyone yet, as far as he knew.

"Then maybe Jace really did die," Alec murmured. "Maybe I couldn't take it." He blinked and roved a muzzy gaze around the dreary landscape. "And this is what insanity is like."

Magnus cupped the sides of his face and tried to divert Alec's focus back to him. "No, Alec. We got sent to limbo, remember? You're not going insane, and I am going to get us out of here. But you need to stay with me."

But Alec was too far gone, and there was a pasty pallor to his skin, not yet translucent, but wasting away. Even his runes, once black and vibrant, were turning gray.

Magnus straightened abruptly as an idea struck. It was probably a long shot, but the only hope he had. He lifted the bottom of Alec's shirt to reveal the parabatai rune. The soul bond between nephilim was something stronger and more profound than anything in Heaven or Earth. Perhaps it was strong enough to reach across dimensions.

Magnus coaxed his magic forth and tentatively reached out to the rune. If he could somehow activate it, or give it a boost, perhaps it would be enough to reach Jace.

And Magnus prayed with all his might that it would be enough to anchor Alec and keep his soul from fading away completely.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jace had lost count of how many times he'd activated his stamina rune. All he knew was that no amount of adrenaline boosts was going to help them find an answer any quicker. If there even was one.

The inability to feel his parabatai wasn't new, not after that rough patch he and Alec had gone through when Clary first entered their world. This was different, though. This separation wasn't of their own petty doing, but because Alec was literally lost to another dimension that no one ever came back from.

Jace admired Clary's stubbornness and tenacity to keep searching for a way to save Alec and Magnus, but Jace knew better. And that was killing him in a way that was ten times more painful than his own actual death had been.

He glanced over at Izzy. Her expression was just as drawn and wrecked with despair as she pored over the ancient text in front of her. Like Jace, she was trying, but deep down she also knew the likelihood of them succeeding. At some point, Robert and Maryse would need to be told. There would be a funeral…but no body to shroud according to their customs. Alec's name would be spoken to an empty pyre, no resting place of honor in the City of Bones.

Jace didn't know how warlocks mourned their dead.

He reached up to rub his eyes, the tears welling forth despite his attempts to keep them at bay. It wasn't fair. If one of them had to die, it should have been him. Jace briefly wondered if this was the consequence of Clary's wish; if his brother had taken his place instead.

He felt a throb in his side, and let out a gasp. His parabatai rune. Pushing away from the table, Jace frantically tore at his shirt to get a look underneath. Was his rune fading? Was his connection to Alec finally being severed?

When his eyes finally landed on the rune, Jace's breath froze at how faded it looked. Alec was dying.

"Izzy," he choked.

There was a set of scraping chair legs, and then both Izzy and Clary were at his side.

Isabelle sucked in a sharp breath. "No."

Jace lifted a watery gaze to Clary, and found her eyes filled with unshed tears as well. His heart clenched. _"Alec!"_

Something stirred within the bond, and for a second, Jace thought he could feel his brother, albeit faintly. There was something else, though, a trace of energy that Jace thought might have been…Magnus? It was like the warlock's magic was trying to fuel the parabatai connection.

Jace let out a ragged gasp. "Wait, I can feel him. And Magnus. I think- I think they're still alive." And were trying to reach out? But what was Jace supposed to do? They hadn't found any answers on their end.

Clary jerked ramrod straight. "Jace, if you activate your parabatai rune to track Alec, then I can open a portal directly to them through our angel connection."

Jace blinked at her uncomprehendingly for a moment. It sounded impossible. But, then, they'd already proven they could do wonders with their angel blood powers.

Izzy hauled Jace to his feet. "Do you think it'll work?" she asked desperately.

Clary pulled out her stele, expression fierce and determined in a way that Jace knew meant nothing could stop them.

He nodded shakily. "Only one way to find out." He looked around the confines of the library. "Upstairs, though."

They headed up to the training room where Jace and Clary took up position, stepping in close to each other as she drew one of the strange runes on her arm to intensify their connection. Jace felt his angel blood stir and ignite, activating his runes.

The communion on such a deep, soulful level, was like ecstasy and easy to get lost in, but Jace forced himself to concentrate, to think of his brother. His parabatai rune grew warmer, strengthening the connection, and Jace could feel Alec again. His relief was short-lived when he sensed how weak his brother was. They had to hurry.

Clary drew the portal rune on her palm, it glowing brighter and hotter than Jace had seen her do before. She then thrust her hand out, shooting out a ball of radiant light that imploded into a swirling vortex.

* * *

"Alexander," Magnus whispered, cradling Alec's cheek. His attempts to anchor Alec to something back in their world had failed, and Alec was still fading. There was an almost mirage quality to his skin now, and he was barely conscious.

Magnus leaned down to kiss him. "Come back," he pleaded.

But true love's kiss hadn't been enough to bring Alec back when he'd been lost in the parabatai bond, nor was it enough to stave off this realm's sinister intention to claim him.

A strident wail echoed through the air, and Magnus twisted around as amorphous revenants swished back and forth in the sky and started to descend toward them. He leaped to his feet and shot off a ball of crackling red magic at them. They banked sharply to avoid getting hit, but that didn't stop their attack.

Magnus threw another spell, and another. One hit a specter and its dying shriek nearly shattered his ear drums. The others sent up hair-raising howls in response and increased the fervency of their attack. One made a dive for Alec, and Magnus frantically threw a fireball to intercept it. His aim struck true, but only just in time, and exploded one of the tree branches as well. Charred wood and rot rained down around Alec, who didn't even stir.

Magnus felt rage born of terror coursing up through his veins. "I won't let you take him!" he shouted at the phantoms, firing spell after spell at them.

But the ruckus was only drawing the attention of more, and even in the distance, Magnus could make out bulbous shapes galumphing over the ground toward their location. In a matter of minutes, they would be overrun.

A frigid gust of wind hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Magnus instinctively threw an arm up over his head as the apparition sailed over him. His magic sputtered from the brief, otherworldly contact that leeched his strength like the parasitic beings they were. The phantom veered up and around to come at him again, while another went for Alec, now undefended. Magnus wanted to scream, but before he could, the air exploded in a hurricane of blinding light and roaring wind. The specters shrieked and twisted to get away.

Magnus whirled in disbelief. Was that a _portal_? It was nearly painful to even look at, its edges blazing a brilliant gold that Magnus had never seen before… Oh, he prayed he was right about who was on the other side.

He ran to Alec, and noted with a surge of hope that his parabatai rune was glowing under his shirt. Magnus slung one arm over his shoulder and started hauling Alec to his feet.

Alec jolted and lolled his head back and forth. "Jace?" he mumbled.

"That's right, Alexander," Magnus grunted, heaving him up. "Think of Jace."

Taking a deep breath, he turned them toward salvation, and with a few staggering steps, fell into the vortex.

* * *

Clary gritted her teeth against the pressure of such a violent portal. It was different than the last one she'd made, stronger, like it was waging a battle on the realm it was invading. And with the runes linking her power with Jace's, Clary felt the thread of the parabatai bond stretching through the rift in space and time.

 _Come on, come on_ , she urged, focusing all her effort in pushing the portal toward their target in order to scoop him up. She could only hope Magnus was with Alec, like Jace said.

And then there was a burst of wind as Magnus and Alec came tumbling through and landed on the training room floor in a dirty and disheveled heap. Clary wrenched away from Jace in a rush of shock and elation, breaking their connection and collapsing the portal in a shower of tinkling shards.

"Alec!" Izzy cried, and hurried over to her brother, prone on the floor.

Magnus swayed on his knees, looking around in bewilderment until he met Clary's eyes. "You have no idea how good your timing was," he said breathlessly.

Clary broke into a half-giddy smile of relief, but it was clouded with worry as she took in their state. "Are you two okay?"

Magnus swiveled back to Alec, who was blinking lethargically as Jace and Izzy crowded him on either side. He reached out to clasp Alec's hand ardently. "Alexander?"

Alec squinted groggily. "Mmph, are we…back?"

Magnus visibly sagged. "Yes, we're home."

"Thank the angel, Alec," Izzy breathed, brushing his hair back.

"Don't you ever do that again," Jace said.

"Fine by me," Alec mumbled, eyelids fluttering closed.

Izzy shook her head. "We should get you to the infirmary."

Clary moved in to help Magnus stand, but it was clear that Alec was still too weak to get off the floor. Izzy called for a gurney, which Clary noted with concern that Alec didn't even try to contest.

"What happened to you?" she asked, eyeing Magnus's ripped shirt, which appeared to have been used to bandage Alec's arm, but other than that, neither of them seemed to have any other wounds. "You were in limbo, right?"

Magnus nodded, a haunted glimmer in his eyes. "Alec's soul was starting to fade."

Jace shot him a startled look, but was distracted by the medics arriving.

Clary's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's what happens to those who get lost in that plane." Magnus watched worriedly as Alec was lifted onto a stretcher. "I tried activating his parabatai rune, hoping the connection to Jace would anchor him. I'd actually thought I'd failed until that portal showed up, right before we were almost ripped apart by the local spirits."

Clary shook her head in disbelief. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Now that we're back, my magic should work better. I can heal any lingering effects…" He took a step to follow the others, only to stumble.

Clary quickly caught him and braced his shoulder. "Looks like you need some healing, too."

Magnus shook his head. "Alec…"

"Jace is looking after him," Clary said. "Come on."

She helped Magnus to the infirmary where Alec had already been transferred to a bed and the medics were removing his shirt and the makeshift bandage on his arm. Jace had his stele out and ready, as runes drawn by one's parabatai were stronger and Alec needed an iratze. Clary eased Magnus onto the next bed over.

"How is he?" Magnus asked, leaning to see around Clary.

"He's stable," Izzy replied as she studied the readings on the monitors. "Heart rate and blood pressure are a little low, but he could just be exhausted."

Clary watched Jace place a hand on Alec's chest over his heart and activate the healing rune. It smoldered to life, and the wound on Alec's arm mended to not even a scar. His vitals also went up a few points.

Clary turned back to Magnus. "See? Alec's going to be fine. Do you need us to call Catarina for you?"

He shook his head. "No, Biscuit, but thank you. I just need to rest. It's been a…very trying day."

"What was limbo like?" Izzy asked with a trace of fascination.

Magnus's eyes darkened a fraction as his gaze slid back to Alec. "It's definitely not a place I'll be putting on my list of vacation spots," he replied lightly, but Clary saw the hints of just how close it had been. Looking at Jace hovering over Alec, she saw it there, too.

"How about I bring you something to eat," she offered Magnus.

He gave her a wan smile and nodded, so Clary and Izzy set off to the kitchen to make something. Clary tried to limit their selection to microwavable items so Izzy wouldn't have to cook. Magnus had been through enough as it was.

When they arrived back at the infirmary, Jace pulled himself away from Alec long enough to draw Clary aside, while Izzy took Magnus the food tray.

"Listen," Jace said quietly. "I just want to thank you."

Clary quirked a confused look at him. "For what?"

"For being here," he said sincerely. "For not giving up. If it weren't for you, I would've lost Alec."

Clary softened her expression and reached out to squeeze his hand. "Alec and Magnus are my family, too. I'm just glad it actually worked."

Jace's lips twitched. "Clary Fairchild, everything you set your mind to works."

She smirked.

Jace straightened, and Clary knew before looking over his shoulder that Alec was waking up. She followed Jace as he moved to Alec's bedside and reached to take his brother's hand. Alec still looked sleepy, but more aware this time, enough to offer his parabatai a soft smile.

"Hey, Alec," Jace said quietly. "How are you feeling, buddy?"

"Tired. But…heavy."

Jace frowned.

"In a good way," Alec explained. "I felt…thin, before. Like I could evaporate."

Jace squeezed his hand tighter. "You're back now, and you're not going anywhere. No missions for a while."

Alec rolled his eyes, but then lifted his head. "Where's Magnus?"

"Sleeping," Izzy put in, and stepped aside so they could see the warlock passed out on the other patient bed.

Alec relaxed against his pillow. "What happened at the auto shop?"

Now it was Jace's turn to roll his eyes in exasperation. "That is literally the last thing you need to concern yourself with right now."

"I'm still Head of the Institute. Unless they replaced me that quickly."

"Definitely not," Izzy said. "But as Head of the Institute, you get to delegate. So someone else is dealing with the paperwork for the raid. Just get some rest, big brother. You and Magnus deserve it."

Alec sighed, but conceded the point by closing his eyes.

Clary smiled to herself, secure in the knowledge that her friends were safe. And she was always going to do whatever it took to keep them that way.

* * *

 **A/N: And that finishes off this little adventure. Thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I have another Shadowhunters fic that's a bit longer (and way angstier) that I'll start posting next Tuesday. Hope to see you there!**


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